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Monday, 23 December 2013

I have gathered here informations about astronomical phenomena of the year 2014 which took me 2 weeks and believe me it was not easy to put them together. I hope you'll find interesting this astronomical calendar. Dates and times were adjusted to the time zone of Romania.In this calendar, events will appear in addition on the way, as asteroids or other objects evolve on the sky.Here's how it looks:

27 february 2014- Moon reaches perigee, the closest point to Earth (360,439 km from Earth) at 21:53 GMT +2.

1 march 2014 -New Moon. Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 10:00 GMT +2.

11 march 2014- Moon at apogee. Luna reaches the farthest point from Earth (405,367 km from Earth) at 21:47 GMT +2.

16 march 2014-
Full Moon. Earth is between the Sun and the Moon and so the Moon will
be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 19:08 GMT +2.

20 march 2014 - Equinox of March. March Equinox occurs at 07:14 GMT +2. The Sun will shine directly on the equator and the days and nights will be almost equal in the whole world. This is also the first day of spring (spring equinox) in the northern hemisphere and the first day of fall (autumnal equinox), in the southern hemisphere.

22 march 2014 - Venus at greatest elongation. Venus is at the farthest distance from the Sun as seen from Earth. It will be an ideal time to observe it.

27 march 2014- Moon reaches perigee, the closest point to Earth (365,706 km from Earth) at 20:31 GMT +2.

30 march 2014 -New Moon. Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 20:45 GMT +2.

08 april 2014 - Mars in opposition. Mars will be closest to Earth (92.390.000. km from Earth) and it's surface will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view and photograph Mars.

08 april 2014- Moon at apogee. Luna reaches the farthest point from Earth (404,503 km from Earth) at 16:53 GMT +2.

15 april 2014-
Full Moon. Earth is between the Sun and the Moon and so the Moon will
be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 09:42 GMT +2.

15 april 2014-Total lunar eclipse at 9:47 GMT +2. Earth is between the Moon and the Sun and the Earth's shadow will cover the whole disk of the Moon. The eclipse will be visible in most of North America, South America and Australia, but not in Romania.

22-23 april 2014-Lyrid meteor shower.Lyridsare meteor showerswithmedium intensity, usually producingabout 20meteors perhour.Thesemeteorscanproducebrightdusttailthattakesa few seconds. Somemeteorsmay bevisiblebetweenApril 16 to 25. The Moon will be a problem this year, blocking less bright meteors.Thesemeteorsradiatefromthe constellationLyra, and theirsourceCometThatcher 18611.

23 april 2014- Moon reaches perigee, the closest point to Earth (369,765 km from Earth) at 02:28 GMT +2.

29 april 2014 -New Moon. Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 08:14 GMT +2.

29 april 2014 - Annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is too far from Earth to completely cover the Sun. This results in a ring of light around the dark Moon. Sun's corona is not visible during an annular solar eclipse. The eclipse will begin on the South African coast and moves over Antarctica and the east coast of Australia.

01 may 2014 -Aldebaran 2.0 ° S of Moon at 5:51 GMT +2.

05, 06 may 2014- Eta Aquarid meteor shower. Eta Aquarids usually produce about 10 meteors per hour. The highest intensity usually take place on 5 and 6. The radiant point is the constellation Aquarius, and the meteors originates from Comet Halley. The best observations are usually to the east after midnight, away from city lights.

06 may 2014- Moon at apogee. Luna reaches the farthest point from Earth (404,319 km from Earth) at 12:23 GMT +2.

10 may 2014 - Saturn in opposition. Ringed planet will be closest to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. An opposition is when a planet is at an elongation of 180 ° and thus appears opposite to the Sun in the sky. This is the best time to view and photograph Saturn and its moons.

14 may 2014-
Full Moon. Earth is between the Sun and the Moon and so the Moon will
be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 09:42 GMT +2.

16 may 2014-Venus at aphelion. Venus will be at the furthest point from the Sun at 14:00 GMT +2.

18 may 2014- Moon reaches perigee, the closest point to Earth (367,099 km from Earth) at 13:59 GMT +2.

25 may 2014-Mercury at greatest elongation at: 22.7 ° E at 09:00.

28 may 2014 -New Moon. Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 20:40 GMT +2.

03 june 2014- Moon at apogee. Luna reaches the farthest point from Earth (404,956 km from Earth) at 06:26 GMT +2.

07 june 2014-Conjunction Moon and Mars. Moon will pass 2° of Mars in the evening sky. The waxing Moon is -12.2 magnitude and Mars will be at -0.8 magnitude. Observe the two objects in the sky to the west just after sunset. The pair will be visible in the evening sky for about 6 hours after sunset.

13 june 2014-
Full Moon. Earth is between the Sun and the Moon and so the Moon will
be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 06:11 GMT +2.

15 june 2014- Moon reaches perigee, the closest point to Earth (362,062 km from Earth) at 05:35 GMT +2.

21 june 2012 - June Solstice. June solstice occurs at 23:09 UT. North Pole of the Earth will be tilted towards the Sun, which will reach the northernmost position in the sky. This is the first day of summer (summer solstice) on the northern hemisphere, and the first day of winter (winter solstice), in the southern hemisphere.

27 june 2014 -New Moon. Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 10:08 GMT +2.

30 june 2014- Moon at apogee. Luna reaches the farthest point from Earth (405,932 km from Earth) at 21:11 GMT +2.

03 july 2014- Earth at Aphelion. Earth reaches the furthest point to the Sun 0.98333 AU, at 07:59 GMT +2.

10 august 2014- Full Moon. Earth is between the Sun and the Moon and so the Moon will
be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 20:09 GMT +2.

10 august 2014- Moon reaches perigee, the closest point to Earth (356,897 km from Earth) at 19:44 GMT +2.

12.13 august 2014-Perseidmeteor shower. Perseidsare oneof the bestmeteor showersthat produceup to 60meteors perhour attheir peakhours.Radiantpoint isin the constellationPerseus, and the meteors originatesfromthe tailof Swift-Tuttle Comet.Find a placeaway fromcitylightsandlookto the northeastaftermidnight.The moon will block some meteors this year, but Perseids are so bright and large that it should be a good show.

18 august 2014- Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter. Conjunctions are rare events in which two or more objects appear very close in the night sky. The two bright planets will come unusually close to each other, only a quarter of a degree on the sky in the early morning. Also, Beehive star cluster in the constellation Cancer will be only 1 degree away. Look to the east just before sunrise.

24 august 2014- Moon at apogee. Luna reaches the farthest point from Earth (406,523 km from Earth) at 08:10 GMT +2.

25 august 2014 -New Moon. Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 16:13 GMT +2.

29 august 2014 - Neptune opposition. Neptune will be the closest to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. An opposition is when a planet is at an elongation of 180 ° and thus appears opposite to the Sun in the sky. This is the best time to observe Neptune. Due to its distance, it will only appear as a tiny blue dot.

08 september 2014- Moon reaches perigee, the closest point to Earth (358,388 km from Earth) at 05:30 GMT +2.

09 september 2014- Full Moon. Earth is between the Sun and the Moon and so the Moon will
be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at03:38 GMT +2.

12 september 2014-Mercury at aphelion. The planet will be at its farthest point from the Sun at 00:00.

20 september 2014- Moon at apogee. Luna reaches the farthest point from Earth (405,846 km from Earth) at 16:23 GMT +2.

23 september 2014 - September Equinox.September
Equinox occurs at 04:29 GMT +2. The Sun will shine directly on the equator
Days and nights will be almost equal in the whole world. This is also
the first day of fall (autumn equinox) on the northern hemisphere, and
the first day of spring (vernal equinox), in the southern hemisphere.

24 september 2014 - New Moon. Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 08:14 GMT +2.

06 october 2014- Moon reaches perigee, the closest point to Earth (362,481 km from Earth) at 11:42 GMT +2.

07 october 2014- Uranus opposition. Uranus will be the closest to Earth
and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. An opposition is
when a planet is at an elongation of 180 ° and thus appears opposite to
the Sun in the sky. This is the best time to observe Uranus. Due to its
distance, it will only appear as a tiny green-blue dot.

08 october 2014- Full Moon. Earth is between the Sun and the Moon and so the Moon will
be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at12:51 GMT +2.

08 october 2014-Total Lunar eclipse.A total eclipse, occurs when the Moon passes completely through the Earth's dark shadow, or Umbra. During this type of eclipse, the Moon will gradually become darker and later take a rusty red or blood color. The eclipse will be visible in most of North America, South America, East Asia, and Australia. This eclipse will be visible from Romania, because it takes place between 10:55 to 14:55.

08-09 october 2014-Draconid meteor shower. The Moon will be illuminated 99.9%. Draconid meteor shower is a minor one only producing about 10 meteors per hour. This is caused by dust particles left by comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner, which was discovered in 1900. The shower takes place annually between October 6 to 10. Unfortunately, the glow of the Full Moon this year will block all of the brighter meteors. If you are very patient, you may be able to observe a few. The best time for viewing will be just after midnight from a dark location away from city lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Draco, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

19 october 2014- Comet 2013 A1 (Siding Spring) will pass extremely close to Mars, almost certainly to 300,000 km from the planet, possibly much closer. The best actual estimates are approximately 50,000 km move to the surface of Mars.

20 september 2014- Moon at apogee. Luna reaches the farthest point from Earth (404,898 km from Earth) at 08:06 GMT +2.

21, 22october 2014-Orionidmeteor shower.Orionidsarea meteor showerofmedium intensity,which producesabout 20meteors perhour.Agood view is in anymorningfromOctober 20 to 24. This year will be a great year for the Orionids because the Moon will not be in the sky to interfere with the show. The best cardinal pointto seewillbetothe eastafter midnight. Orionidsoriginates fromComet Halley.

23 october 2014 - New Moon. Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 23:57 GMT +2.

23 october 2014 - Partial Eclipse of the Sun. A partial solar eclipse occurs when the Moon covers only a part of the solar disc, and sometimes looks like a bite of a cookie. A partial solar eclipse can be observed safely only with a special solar filter or looking at the reflection of the sun. This Partial eclipse will be visible in most of North and Central America.

03 november 2014- Moon reaches perigee, the closest point to Earth (367,871 km from Earth) at 02:22 GMT +2.

06 november 2014- Full Moon. Earth is between the Sun and the Moon and so the Moon will
be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at00:23 GMT +2.

08 november 2014- Aldebaran 1.4 ° S of Moon at 9:41 GMT +2.

12, 13 november 2014-Taurid meteor shower.Taurids are a long time minor meteor shower, producing only about 5 to 10 meteors per hour. It is unusual that it consists of two separate streams. The first is produced by dust particles of asteroid 2004 TG10. The second current is produced by debris left behind by Comet 2P Encke. The shower takes place annually between October 20 to December 10. This year the maximum is on the night of November 12. Unfortunately, the Full Moon will block all but the most bright meteors. If you are very patient, you may be able to observe a few. The best time for viewing will be just after midnight from a dark location away from city lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation of Taurus, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

15 november 2014- Moon at apogee. Luna reaches the farthest point from Earth (404,338 km from Earth) at 03:57 GMT +2.

22 november 2014 - New Moon. Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 14:32 GMT +2.

27 november 2014- Moon reaches perigee, the closest point to Earth (369,825 km from Earth) at 01:12 GMT +2.

06 december 2014- Full Moon. Earth is between the Sun and the Moon and so the Moon will
be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at14:27 GMT +2.

06 december 2014- Aldebaran 1.5 ° S of Moon at 6:35 GMT +2.

12 december 2014- Moon at apogee. Luna reaches the farthest point from Earth (404,338 km from Earth) at 01:04 GMT +2.

12 december 2014-Mars at perihelion. The planet will be at its closest point to the Sun at 14:00 GMT +2.

13, 14 december 2014-Geminidmeteor shower- is consideredby manyto bethe best meteor shower on the the sky. Geminidsare knownto produceup to 60multicoloredmeteorsper hourattheirpeak. Mostusuallyappearon, or around13 byDecember and14,although somemeteorsshould bevisiblebetween06 and19 December.Theyradiatefrom theconstellationGemini andoriginates from theasteroid3200Phaeton. This year, the Moon will block some of the meteors, but Geminids are so brilliant and it would still be a good show.The bestobservation isto the eastafter midnightin adarkarea.

21 december 2014 -The Decembersolsticeoccursat02:03 GMT +2. SouthPoleof the Earthwillbetiltedtowards the Sun, and will reachthe most northernpositionin the sky. Thismakes itthe first dayofwinter(winter solstice), the northern hemisphere, and the firstday ofsummer(summer solstice), in the southern hemisphere.

22 december 2014 - New Moon. Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 03:36 GMT +2.

22, 23 december 2014-Ursid meteor shower. Ursids are a minor meteor shower which produces only about 5 to 10 meteors per hour. This is caused by dust left by the comet Tuttle, which was discovered in 1790. The shower is happening annually from December 17 to 26. This year, the maximum will occur on the night of 22. It will be one of the best years to observe Ursids, as there will be no moonlight to interfere with the show. The best observations are after midnight, in a dark area., Away from city lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Ursa Minor, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

24 december 2014- Moon reaches perigee, the closest point to Earth (364,791 km from Earth) at 18:44 GMT +2.

Opportunities for observation in 2014:On April 8, 2014, at the next opposition, Mars will be 92.39 million. km. from Earth compared to March 3, 2012, previous opposition, when the distance between the two planets was 100,780,000 km.

Interesting occultations will be on July 6, 2014, between the Moon and Mars, 0.2 ° S of Moon, at 03:21, and on August 4, 2014, between the Moon and Saturn, 0.0 ° N of Moon, at 12:54 PM.

Unfortunately, all Moon and Sun eclipses of this year, will be missed, because it will not be seen in Romania.

The nearest distance between the Moon and Earth in 2014, when the Moon is at perigee, will be on August 10, 2014 at 356.897 km from Earth, at 19:44 GMT +2.The farthest distance between the Moon and Earth in 2014, when the Moon is at its apogee, will be on July 28, 2014 to 406.570 km from Earth, at 5:28 GMT +2.